Suffocation
by adromir
Summary: Steve goes missing. Again. A Steve-whump, obviously.
1. Chapter 1

**SUMMARY: Steve goes missing. **_**Again**_**. A Steve-whump, obviously.**

**A/N: This particular LOD story takes place after Season 5. Cheers, mates. Thank you for reading.**

_**-AC12AC12AC12AC12AC12-**_

For the umpteenth time that day, DI Kate Fleming dialed her partner's phone number. And just like before, it kept ringing until it reached his voice mail, "This is DS Steve Arnott. Leave your message."

"Shit," she swore, feeling like throwing her mobile phone against the wall.

"Steve, where on earth are you?" she hissed, leaving him a message. _Again_. "Call me back. _Now_, god damn it."

It was supposed to be a normal mundane Tuesday morning. Steve had been scheduled to start his early shift by 7.30 a.m so that he and Kate could conduct an interview with a suspect at 10.00 o'clock sharp, which was about an hour ago. Yet still he hadn't shown up. Hence, Kate had to supervise the interview with the assistance of a junior officer instead. Luckily it went smoothly without a hitch though it didn't manage to improve her mood, especially when she came out of the interview room only to discover that Steve remained AWOL.

Superintendent Ted Hastings stepped out of his room. "Kate."

"Sir." Keeping her temper in check, she turned to her superior.

"Still no news from Steve?"

Kate sighed. "Not yet, sir."

The gaffer shook his head. "Where the bloody hell is he?"

"I have no idea, sir."

"What time did you two finish the surveillance last night?"

"Around midnight," Kate replied, referring to the surveillance ops that she and Steve had supervised outside the suspect's residence in Moss Heath. "We finally got the proof we needed, and then we all went home in separate cars."

"Do you think he overslept?"

"Well, it has happened before." Kate shrugged. After pondering a bit, she added, "Still, this is so not like him at all. With your permission, sir, I would like to go and check at his flat. Maybe he indeed overslept, or maybe he tripped on his own feet and knocked himself unconscious against the wall, god forbid."

Hastings nodded, slightly amused. "Go then, Kate. And bring him back here on the double. The silly wee gobshite has a lot of explaining to do."

Not wasting any more time, Kate grabbed her purse and car keys before rushing off towards the elevator. Fifteen minutes later, she was pulling over in front of Steve's flat. However, she had to wait for quite some time to be let in after pressing the buzzer at the main entrance. By the time she got to Steve's door, she was boiling with fury.

"Why the hell didn't you answer your—"

Her voice trailed off when she realized that it was not Steve who stood there. Instead, it was a tall hard looking man with bleary eyes and a bed mess of hair. Clad only in a pair of pajama bottoms, Steve's older brother was stifling a yawn.

"…phone." Kate blinked in surprise. "_Shane_?"

"Hi, Kate. It's a bit early, isn't it?" Major Shane Arnott commented with a crooked grin. "Not that I'm complaining. It's always a pleasure to see you."

"_Early_? It's already a quarter past 11.00."

"Really?" Yawning, he rubbed his eyes. "Bloody hell."

"Uh…were you asleep?"

"Not anymore."

"Oh my god. I'm so sorry." Kate felt awful now, but she still had a partner to find.

"That's alright. Hey, come on in."

Opening the door wider, he stepped aside to let her into the flat. She turned around as he shut the door, and instantly became aware of his topless state. For several seconds, she could only stare at his bare muscular chest and firm wide shoulders. And those washboard abs…

_Jesus_.

Shane glanced down at himself and realized his state of undress.

"Sorry," he said, looking a little smug as he went to grab a t-shirt from the back of a sofa. "I haven't slept for the last forty eight hours. Brain cells not connecting yet."

"It's fine," she replied, feeling quite disappointed when the spectacular view of his masculine physique was concealed by the t-shirt that he hastily put on.

"So, DI Fleming, what can I do for you?"

"Actually, I'm here to see Steve."

"_Steve_?" Shane frowned, crossing his arms. "Isn't he supposed to be at the office already?

"But that's just it. He's not there." She threw up her arms in frustration. "He should've been at the office by 7.30 because we had an interview scheduled at 10.00. He never arrived though. I've called his mobile many times but got no answer."

Shane's frown grew deeper. "That's weird. My little brother is not the kind of person to play truant. He takes his job very seriously."

"Yeah, I know. I thought he might have overslept or…maybe he hurts himself shaving and bleeds to death, who knows? I've had all kinds of awful scenarios playing in my head for the past hour."

"Let me go check," he said, already heading towards Steve's bedroom. After a brief knock, he entered with Kate following. The bed was empty. In fact, it didn't look as if it had been slept in. Shane checked the bathroom next. No signs of Steve there either. There was not a spot of water on the floor or the wall of the shower cubicle. Even the sink was completely dry.

Turning to her, Shane said, "I don't think he ever came home last night."

"Shit," she swore.

"Kate, where the hell is my brother?" Shane looked serious now, his eyes drawing to a slit.

"That's why I came to find out. I thought he would be here," she said. "When you came in, didn't you see him?"

Pinching the bridge of his nose, he said, "No, I didn't. I got here around 4.00 in the morning. I didn't want to wake him, so I let myself in."

"You got in through the window again?"

"Of course not." Shane snorted. "Stevie has given me a spare key."

As a covert operative for MI-5, it was no surprise that every now and then Shane would break into Steve's flat for a place to crash whenever his classified ops took place near the area. But Kate understood that it was actually Shane's own way to check on his younger brother.

"We had a surveillance ops last night at a residence area in Moss Heath," Kate said. "But we already finished by 12.00 and we all went straight home."

"He took his own car?"

"Yeah. And I took mine."

"Maybe you should think of carpooling next time. You can monitor his whereabouts easier that way," Shane said, shaking his head. "Anyway, you said you've called his phone many times. Did it ring or did it go directly to voice mail?"

"It rang on and on and _then_ it went to voicemail."

"Hmm…That means his phone is still on. Maybe I can trace its location." Shane walked out to enter the guest bedroom next door.

"Trace it?" Kate curiously asked as she followed. "What, you put a tracker on a police-issued mobile phone now?"

"I don't need to," he replied, picking up his own mobile phone from the nightstand next to the bed. "I just use 'Find Friend' app, totally legal."

"Right. Of course. Why didn't I think of that?"

Fiddling with his phone, he briefly smiled at her. "Obviously you've got lots on your mind."

And then his smile disappeared as he stared at his phone screen.

"Kate, I've got the location of Steve's phone," he said, showing her the result given by the application. "But what it's still doing in Moss Heath?"

She gasped. "You mean, Steve never even left the scene?"

Turning grim, Shane quickly headed towards the bathroom. "Something's definitely wrong. We need to go and check it out. Give me five minutes."

_**-AC12AC12AC12AC12AC12-**_

_Almost twelve hours earlier_…

"Gotcha," Kate triumphantly said when a middle-age man emerged from the bungalow across the street, flanked by two exceptionally large men. His bodyguards, obviously.

"That's Benji the mobster, alright. Along with his henchmen," Steve commented, also watching through his binoculars. "We've got him."

"Yep. We've got McDowell," she agreed with a smile. "This is by far the best evidence against him. He won't be able to easily deflect this one. Conspiring with the mobster? Not a good trait for a DCI, I tell you."

"Liz, you're getting all this?" Steve asked DC Liz Norman, his junior officer who was leaning against the side of the other window, busily taking pictures with a long zoom camera. An hour before, she could only capture Benji's arrival from behind.

"Yes, Sarge. Everything is in focus."

"Good. Try to get that reg number of that car too," he said, indicating the dark Land Rover that had just pulled over to pick up the three men.

The AC-12 team had set up the surveillance base camp at an abandoned unit of an apartment building opposite the target's house for over six hours now. The day before, they had received a tip from a CHIS that the police officer currently under investigation, DCI McDowell, would meet Benji at his home that night. McDowell had firmly denied any connections with the head of the local mobster earlier on. However, with what the AC-12 had recently witnessed—supported by the damning photographs—it didn't seem likely that McDowell would be able to refute his transgressions any more.

"Alpha Charlie 7-6 to 3-7. Ma'am, the target's vehicle is moving away," their radios crackled as another AC-12 officer reported from his vantage position on the other side of the street.

"Alpha Charlie 3-7 to 7-6. Received," Kate responded. "Leave it be. Do not follow. The nominal is not our main target. What's the status of our subject?"

"He has gone back into the house, ma'am. The front door is now shut."

"Roger that."

Turning to Steve, Kate said, "Well, that's it then. Mission accomplished."

He grinned back. "Well done, ma'am. McDowell is not going to know what hit him tomorrow."

Fifteen minutes later, the team had fully disassembled their surveillance base camp. It was done quickly yet meticulously with an efficiency born out of a hundred times of practice until it had become a second nature to them.

"Steve, where did you park your car?" Kate asked when they walked out of the apartment building through its rear access.

"A hundred meters down the road, next to the empty field," he replied.

"Well, this is mine." Kate pointed at her Audi parked under an apple tree right behind the apartment block. "I'm dropping Liz off first. Her house is within my direct route."

"Alright, then. See you in the morning at the office, boss."

"Yes, see ya. Be there bright and early, Steve. We have to set up before the big interview."

"Yes, ma'am. Good night."

"Night."

Pleased by the evening's success, Steve was smiling to himself as he walked towards his car. But when he pressed the key fob, it bleeped twice, causing him to frown.

_What the hell? Didn't I lock the car just now?_

He pressed the key fob again and it bleeped only once, now unlocking the car. Shaking his head—and berating himself for his carelessness—he pulled open the door and got in. Buckling his seat belt, he turned on the engine and was about to put his car into gear when something hard and metallic jab him at the back of his neck.

His blood instantly ran cold.

_Shit_.

"Hello, Arnott."

Steve froze, and quickly glanced at the rearview mirror. A man with a full growth of beard was glowering back at him. His eyes widened when he recognized who that was.

"Ramsay."

"Got that on first try. Good for you, dickhead."

Steve took a deep breath, trying to stay calm. He knew what it was that was jabbing the back of his neck. The last time it had happened to him was during his first meeting with the late DS John Corbett.

"What do you want, Ramsay?" he asked with a bored expression as if there wasn't a loaded gun just millimeters away from his skin.

"You sent me to prison. You made my life a living hell," said Ian Ramsay, who was previously a DC with the AC-12.

Six years ago, while investigating a case that involved a high ranking officer who had been accused of receiving kickbacks from a well-known local businessman, Steve had somehow discovered that Ramsay had been sharing investigation details with the suspect and taking an amount of bribe money on aside. The case against the high ranking officer almost went down the drain due to a mistrial if not for Steve's tenacity to come out with stronger evidence against him. Not only that, Steve had also managed to prove Ramsay's serious offence as an anti-corruption officer. In a separate trial, Ramsay had been sentenced to five years in prison.

The five-year period had passed, and Ramsay was now a free man. And a vengeful one at that.

"It wasn't me who sent you to prison," Steve steadily said, one hand inching toward the mobile phone in his jacket pocket. "You brought it onto yourself."

"The high and mighty DS Steve Arnott. Always finds the fault of everyone else but himself. It's so damn pathetic that—put both hands on the wheel!"

At Ramsay's sudden shout, Steve briefly closed his eyes as he braced himself for the gunshot. "Look, Ramsay…"

"Don't try to soft talk me! Take out your phone. Use one hand only. Slowly now."

Steve carefully did as he was told. He fished out his mobile phone and held it up. Ramsay quickly grabbed it. Powering down the window, he chucked the phone out of the car into the darkness.

"Now move. Start driving."

"Where are we going?"

"Just drive. I'll give you directions. And don't try any smart move, Arnott. Or I'll blow your brains out!"

_**-AC12AC12AC12AC12AC12-**_

_Present time_…

Kate drove while Shane concentrated on his phone, navigating based on the route given by the 'Find Friend' application. Her heart sank when they came near last night's surveillance spot. She felt even worse when they drove past McDowell's house.

"Christ," she swore. "We were here just hours ago."

Shane glanced at her. "This app doesn't give the exact location of Steve's phone. It's not perfectly accurate. It just shows the vicinity of it."

"Let's find the spot where he parked his car."

"You know where that is?"

"He told me it was about a hundred meters from where we set up base." Slowing down the car into a crawl, Kate drove onward. "Right next to a field."

"You mean, _that_ field?" Shane gestured to a large open area on his left.

After Kate pulled over to the side of the road, they both got out and rushed onto the empty field. But they could find no sign of Steve anywhere.

"Well, where the hell is he?" Kate wondered out loud, shading her eyes against the bright glare of the late morning sun.

Still peering at his phone, Shane said, "The signal from his phone shows that the damn thing is still here. Not moving at all. We need to find it."

"Wait, I'll call."

Taking out her own phone, Kate speed dialed Steve's number. Seconds later, the sound of a ringing tone broke the air. They hastily looked around, and Shane was the first to spot it.

"There!" He ran towards the sound and swiftly found his brother's iPhone nestled among a clump of low shrubberies. Picking it up, he showed it to Kate. "The battery is almost out."

Kate rushed over, feeling some great misgivings. "Steve's phone is here but not him. Something bad happened, Shane. I can feel it."

"Same here," Shane agreed, looking utterly grim. His brilliant blue eyes flashed dangerously, and the muscle of his jaw visibly flexed. His fists clenched and unclenched as he tried to control his rage. In short, he looked scary as hell.

For several moments, they both just stood there as they decided on their next move until Shane suddenly said, "Steve's car."

Kate was puzzled. "What about it?"

"It's a police-issued vehicle. It has a tracker, right?"

Kate felt like slapping herself silly. "Of course! Not exactly LoJack, but close to it. Give me a moment. I need to call the office."

Her call was immediately patched through to the Vehicle Control Unit. "This is DI Kate Fleming. I'm requesting a trace on one of our job vehicle."

Giving the dispatcher the registration number of Steve's car, she added, "This is an emergency. We need to urgently find that car."

Still listening to her phone, she began to run towards her own service vehicle. "Okay. Send the location to my phone the instant you get it. Consider it a priority."

Shane followed not far behind her. "They've traced the car?"

"They are locating it now," she replied, quickly getting behind the wheel before restarting the engine. "But I'm perfectly sure it won't be around this area anymore."

A couple minutes later, her phone pinged, signaling an incoming message. She glanced at it and her eyes widened in surprise.

"Is that the location?" Shane asked.

Kate nodded and handed him her phone. "Steve's car now sat unmoving at the opened parking space of the Tesco Hypermarket near Ferry Street."

Shane frowned at the location pin on the local map that was displayed. "What, Steve suddenly decided to do some grocery shopping without telling anyone?"

"If that were the case, I'm going to skin him alive."

"Take a number. Alright, I think the Tesco is about thirty kilometers away."

"Yeah. Just about." She promptly reached over to turn on the sirens and flashing lights of her car. "We need to blue light it."

Within fifteen minutes, they caught sight of the familiar sign of the said Tesco. Kate deftly directed her car into the opened carpark, taking the turn a little too fast that the tires screeched. To their dismay, the huge parking space was totally packed. It was close to lunch time anyway, and that particular Tesco was popular with the locals because it had varieties of eating outlets.

"Shit," Shane muttered an oath. "How the hell are we going to find it? Talk about a needle in a haystack!"

Just like the 'Find Friend' application, the tracer was not hundred percent accurate so they couldn't be able to pinpoint the exact location of Steve's car, which was a silver Volvo S90. And there were scores of silver sedans currently sitting in the sun. Kate had to crane her neck this way and that as she checked each silver vehicle that they drove past.

"Jesus Christ, this is impossible!" she grumbled before hitting the brakes. "We need backup."

Using her phone, she contacted the control center and requested the assistance of several uniform units. Shane, meanwhile, had already got out of the car and was running up and down the rows of parked cars.

Three patrol cars arrived soon afterwards. By that time, Kate and Shane had already been searching for five minutes. It was quite a hot day in August, and they were already sweating from exertion. The uniforms quickly joined in the search, which attracted the interest of nearby onlookers.

By some miracle, Kate finally saw it. For several moments she could only stare at it in surprise, gasping for breath. She then turned around and hollered, "Shane!"

From two rows away, Shane quickly came running. "You found it?"

"Yes!"

Kate was already inspecting the car, peering into its interior. As expected, it was completely empty. And when she tried the door, it wouldn't open.

"It's locked."

Walking around the car, Shane ran a critical eye all over it as he tried to seek any clues that would tell him about his brother's whereabouts. When he found none, he quickly looked around him to study the position of the CCTV cameras. To his utter disgust, the nearest CCTV camera was about a hundred meters away, too far to provide a clear view of Steve's car.

"How are we going to proceed now?" Kate wondered out loud, clearly frustrated. "Like the phone, we found the car but no sign of Steve. I mean, why parked here? Is this some kind of a twisted game?"

Instead of answering, Shane went to the back of the Volvo. He stood there frowning, his arms akimbo. He had just noticed the condition of the two tail lights. Both were cracked.

"Kate," he said, pointing it out to her. "Take a look at this."

They both knelt by the tail lights to inspect them closer.

"What do you think happened?" Kate asked. "Has the car been hit from behind?"

"No, I don't think so." Shane shook his head. "Look at those light bulbs inside. The outer glass are cracked, but those bulbs are hanging by the wire. The damage was done from the inside, not outside…_Fuck_!"

He suddenly shot to his feet with a loud curse. Startled, Kate also straightened up and watched in puzzlement as he tried to force the driver's side door open.

"Shane? What is it?"

Shane didn't answer. Turning away to protect his eyes, he slammed his elbow hard against the window until it broke into a thousand pieces. Reaching in, he pulled the inside handle to unlock the door. Wrenching the door open, he then bent over to release the boot lever before returning towards the back of the car. When he pushed up the lid of the car boot, he was met with a sight that would haunt him for days afterwards.

Steve was lying inside the boot facing the damaged tail lights. His wrists were bound together by a cable tie behind his back, his ankles tied together in the same manner. A rolled-up bandanna was tied over his mouth as a gag. He was completely motionless, his eyes closed.

What's more, there was a small pool of blood from a shallow wound at the back of his head.

Kate cried out loud, "Oh my god…_Steve_!"

Trembling slightly, Shane reached down to place his fingertips against his brother's neck. When he found the pulse, albeit weak and erratic, he almost collapsed from great relief.

"Is he breathing?" Kate asked, turning pale herself.

"He's still alive. Call the ambulance, Kate."

As Kate made the call, Shane took out a Swiss Army knife from his pocket and quickly cut the cable ties that bound his brother. He then placed each arm under Steve's shoulder and behind the knees before he effortlessly lifted his younger brother out of the car boot.

"We need to get him under the shade out of the sun," he told Kate as he rushed towards the nearest entrance of the Tesco with Steve lying limp in his arms.

The uniform policemen had rushed over when they realized that Steve had been found. After instructing them to secure the area around Steve's car, she ran after the brothers. She found them both inside the air-conditioned building, just meters away from the entrance. Lying on his back against the cold floor, Steve stayed unresponsive as Shane removed the gag from his mouth. Shoppers had crowded around to stare agog, some looked alarm and some were merely curious.

"I'm DI Fleming from the Central Police," she announced to the onlookers. "Kindly move back please. Give us some room."

Kneeling on Steve's other side, Kate helped Shane to pull off Steve's jacket and the t-shirt underneath.

"Heat stroke. A severe one," Shane commented, somehow managing to stay calm. "We need to cool him down immediately. ETA of the ambulance?"

"Five minutes. I've told the uniforms to directly lead the EMT here when they arrive."

Rising to her feet, Kate gestured for one of the supermarket staffs to come over. "We need water. Where's the nearest water tap?"

Before the young woman could answer, a man pushed his shopping cart closer. It was filled to the brim with his purchases including several cartons of one litre bottled water.

"Here, just take them. I've already paid for these."

Kate felt like kissing him. "Thank you, sir. Thank you so much!"

Without hesitating, she grabbed several bottles and brought them over to Steve's side. The man also helped by carrying two more bottles.

Shane had just tugged down his brother's jeans, leaving Steve only in his underwear. Nodding his thanks to the kind man, Shane uncapped a bottle before he gently poured the water onto Steve's head, face and neck. He did the same thing to Steve's armpits and groin area, repeating the process until his brother was thoroughly soaked.

What felt like an eternity later, Steve finally showed some responsive signs. With a low moan, his eyes fluttered open.

"Stevie?" Shane softly called. He soaked his fingertips and ran them over Steve's dry and cracked lips. "Hey, Shortlegs. Are you back with us?"

Licking the moisture, Steve looked up at his older brother in a daze before he weakly croaked, "What…took you…so long…"

Shane stared back for a moment before he broke into soft laughter.

"Ungrateful little bugger," he finally said, touching his forehead against his brother's. "God, Stevie. I thought you were already a goner."

"Scared the shit out of me!" Kate also groused as she squeezed Steve's hand. "What the hell happened, mate?"

Feebly, he turned to her. "Kate…it's Ramsay."

Her eyes widened. "Are you sure?"

Steve nodded and closed his eyes. Even the act of talking had quickly seeped what remained of his strength. Shane placed his palm against his brother's forehead. It was still too warm. Steve was not out of danger yet.

"Who is Ramsay?" Shane asked as he spread the discarded t-shirt across Steve's sodden underwear to preserve his modesty. Kate, slightly distracted by the sight of her partner's perfectly masculine build, took a while to respond. Her stars must have been perfectly aligned that day, for she had seen not one but _two_ half naked Arnott brothers within the hour.

"Uh…Ian Ramsay, formerly a DC with AC-12," Kate finally replied, now looking worried. "Steve handled his case a long while back."

Before she could explain any further, a team of EMTs emerged from between the crowd. They quickly converged around Steve to examine his vitals. Shane and Kate immediately got out of the way to give them more room to work.

"Oh, God. I forgot to tell the gaffer." She took out her mobile phone and walked several paces away to make the call.

Shane stayed rooted to the spot, watching closely as the paramedics worked on his brother. He then noticed the man who had donated his bottled water earlier. Shane went to shake hands with him.

"Thank you, sir. You helped saved my brother's life. How much do I owe you for the water?"

"What? No, no need to pay me. I'm real glad I was able to help."

"Well, thanks again."

When he turned his attention back to Steve, his younger brother was already placed onto the stretcher and they were about to wheel him towards the ambulance waiting outside.

Kate came rushing back. "Superintendent Hastings is issuing an urgent ATL for Ian Ramsay. We're going to arrest him."

Shane nodded as he followed the stretcher that was carrying Steve. Before climbing into the back of the ambulance, he fully turned to her.

"Thanks, Kate," he said with an earnest gaze. "If not for your concern for him, and if you hadn't come to the flat, we would never realize that Stevie has gone missing until it's already too late. He could've died."

Throwing caution to the wind, Kate wrapped her arms around him and held him close.

"Go and stay with him," she softly said, "I need to remain here to overlook the investigation. I'll drop by at the hospital later, yeah?"

Shortly afterwards, Kate watched as the ambulance carrying the Arnott brothers rushed away amid blaring sirens and flashing cherry lights until it disappeared from sight. Sighing, she quickly headed for Steve's Volvo in the carpark, which was now a crime scene.

She still had a job to do.

**TO BE CONTINUED…**

**A/N: The story is not over yet. Stay tuned for the next chapter.**

"**I've had it with your bullshit!" – DS Steve Arnott.**

**.**

*** ****ABBREVIATIONS****:**

**AC - Anti Corruption**

**ATL - Attempt To Lookout**

**AWOL- Absence Without Leave**

**CHIS - Covert Human Intelligence Source**

**DC - Detective Constable **

**DCI - Detective Chief Inspector**

**DI - Detective Inspector**

**DS - Detective Sergeant**

**EMT - Emergency Medical Technician**

**ETA - Estimate Time of Arrival**

**RTC - Road traffic collision**


	2. Chapter 2

**A/N: Here's the finale, guys. Enjoy…or not. **

_**-AC12AC12AC12AC12AC12-**_

It was more than five hours later when Kate finally had the opportunity to visit Steve at the hospital. By that time, the forensic team had completed their investigation at the Tesco carpark and Steve's Volvo had been towed away for further analysis at the lab.

Major Violent Crime Unit had taken over the case, led by DCI Howard Wilson as the SIO. Kate had met him at the scene earlier, and now she met him again at the entrance to the hospital when she arrived.

"DI Fleming." Wilson nodded at her in acknowledgement. He and his junior officer had just finished getting a full statement from Kate's partner.

"Sir," she responded in kind. "Has Steve been able to talk?"

The DCI nodded with a sigh. "More or less. He's still weak but he managed to give us details of his abduction, enough to charge Ian Ramsay with attempted manslaughter. Our main concern right now is that Ramsay is still at large, and we wonder if he would try to harm DS Arnott again."

"Superintendent Hastings has arranged for two AFOs to stand guard at Steve's ward and watch over him around the clock."

"Yes, we saw." Wilson suddenly grinned. "His older brother is there too. A real scary bloke. All big and muscular and mean looking. An SAS Major, I believe. No one can get past him to get to Steve, that's for sure."

Kate also smiled. "Steve is in good hands then. Anyway, I'm going up to see him now."

"If he recalls anything more, kindly share it with us, DI Fleming."

"Of course, sir. Will do."

Shortly afterwards, Kate got out of the elevator onto the ICU floor. Upon reaching Steve's private ward, she didn't immediately enter. She paused at the door, watching with a fond smile as Shane carefully lifted his brother's head so that Steve could take a few sips of water from a glass. For such an intimidating guy, Shane could be real gentle and considerate. At least he was with his younger brother.

Other human beings? Not so much.

"More?" Shane asked when Steve pushed the glass away.

Leaning his head back against the pillow, Steve groaned. "Stop it. I'm bloated already."

"I don't care if you're bloating like Fiona the hippo," Shane groused. "You need to rehydrate."

Steve jerked his thumb at the IV drip attached to his arm. "Then what the hell is that for?"

"_That_ is to supply you the magic juice so that you can stop behaving like a twat," the elder Arnott retorted. He then noticed Kate standing in the doorway, and his face instantly broke into grins. "Hey, Kate."

"Hi." Chuckling softly, she came near the bed. "Being a difficult patient again, is he? So how is he doing?

"_He_ is doing fine, thank you," Steve snapped back, and then he sighed before placing an arm over his eyes. "Sorry, Kate. I'm just…so tired. And these headaches…"

"No worries, mate. I hope you feel better soon."

Removing his arm, Steve gave Kate a weary smile. "Thanks."

"The gaffer will visit you first thing tomorrow. He's a bit swamped right now, what with the McDowell's case and now this." Sitting on the edge of the bed, she took his hand and gave it a squeeze. "How are you feeling, really?"

"Awful. But at least I'm still alive." He squeezed her hand in return. "Shane told me that if you hadn't come to the flat to check on me, I'd be totally roasted in the boot of my own car. I owe you one, boss."

"But it was Shane who figured out exactly where you were. I would never have guessed that Ramsay had dumped you there and left you to bake."

"Yeah, brother. You owe _me_ plenty," Shane pointed out with a haughty smirk.

"Piss off, you—arghhh!" Steve suddenly cried in pain, turning rigid.

Startled, Kate shot off the bed and looked at him worriedly. "Steve? What…what's wrong?"

Shane had calmly moved towards the foot of the bed, lifting the blanket. "Which one is it now?"

"Calf..." Steve said through gritted teeth. "The left one…"

"Alright. Hang on."

"What is it?" Kate still couldn't understand. She watched as Shane began to rub and massage the contracting muscles of his brother's calf, while pushing the left toes inward. "Oh. Muscle cramps?"

"Yeah," Shane confirmed. "A normal occurrence if you're seriously dehydrated. That's why you need to drink more water, Shortlegs. And replenish the electrolytes."

"This is _not_ a good time for a bloody lecture, you Neanderthal," Steve shot back. He tightly shut his eyes and groaned. "Shit. This sucks…"

Kate winced in sympathy, especially when Steve tightened his hold on her hand as he rode the pain. A full little minute later, he gradually relaxed.

"Better?" she asked him as she stroke his head.

Steve nodded, panting a bit. When he realized that he was clutching hard at her hand as if hanging on for dear life, he quickly released it. "Jesus, Kate. I'm so sorry."

She chuckled. "It's fine. I'm not made of glass, you know."

"I second that. In fact, I think you're a wonder woman, DI Fleming. So pretty and delicate, and yet so damn tough," Shane easily commented as he arranged the covers back over his brother's feet. When he flashed a dimpled smile at her, she blushed like a teenage girl.

Clearing her throat to hide her discomfiture, she fully turned to her partner. "So what really happened, Steve? How did Ramsay manage to get the drop on you?"

With a small shrug, he began to explain, "Because I was stupid."

"Now _that_ is an understatement of the year," Shane suddenly chimed in, earning him a fierce glare from the invalid.

"No, I rephrase that," Steve said, still scowling. "I was _careless_. When I reached my car, Ramsay was already waiting in the back seat. I should've locked the car. I must have forgotten."

"No, I think you _did_ lock the car, Stevie. It's every driver's instinctive action," Shane interjected. "But nowadays it's becoming easier for certain people to get into locked cars without triggering the alarm. What you really should've done was checked the interior before you got in. That was your biggest mistake."

"I know." Steve sighed. "The moment I got in the car, Ramsay put a gun to the back of my neck. Gave me a déjà vu, that. He made me drive as per his directions until we ended up at the deserted carpark of that Tesco. He told me he wanted to make my life a living hell, and then he knocked me out. When I woke up, I found myself bound and gagged in a real dark and tight place. Yeah, it was a living hell alright. Especially when hours gone by and the day grew hotter and hotter."

"Oh, Steve." Kate patted his arm, empathized with what he had gone through. "That must be so awful for you. I wish we had found you sooner."

"It's alright, Kate." He smiled back, a little drowsily. "What matters most is that you two found me just in time. I've had a lot of fun kicking at the tail lights, but those bloody things are rock solid! I barely made a dent on them."

"As a distress signal, the cracked tail lights worked perfectly. That was how Shane was able to figure out you were in the car boot."

Steve sent his brother a droll gaze, albeit hazily. "I'm not going to hear the end of this, am I?"

"Not in the next million years." Shane laughed.

Steve made a face at that. "Anyway, at first I wondered why Ramsay didn't just kill me straightaway. He had the gun. He could've shot me out right. Then I realized he wanted me to suffer first."

From her peripheral vision, Kate noticed that Shane was clenching and unclenching his fists. The veins in his arms went taut with tension. However, his expression remained emotionless when he reached up to cover his brother's eyes.

"You're completely bushed, Stevie. Don't fight it. Sleep now. Get some rest."

The younger man slapped at Shane's hand in annoyance. "Oh, go throw yourself over the cliff!"

"Been there, done that." Shane smirked in response. "Ever heard of BASE jumping?"

"Bragger," Steve grumbled. He then closed his eyes and promptly drifted off.

Assured that his brother had finally fallen into sleep, Shane turned to Kate and jerked his head towards the door. "Can I talk to you outside for a sec?"

She nodded with a frown. "Yeah, sure."

They both stepped out of the room and walked several meters down the corridor towards a secluded corner. Leaning his back against the wall, Shane crossed his arms and said not a word for several long seconds that Kate began to worry something else was amiss.

"What is it, Shane?"

Grim faced, he looked at her. "I have to leave."

Her eyes widened in surprise. "_Now_?"

"Yes, now." Shane sighed. "What can I say, Kate? Duty calls."

"Does Steve know?"

"He knows."

"You're worried about Steve's safety without you around then? Rest easy, Shane. You can see those two AFOs at the door. They will always be there to guard your brother."

"I know that."

"And Steve is not exactly a wuss either. He can take care of himself."

Shane grinned. "I completely disagree. That's why I slipped a stun gun under his pillow."

"You _what_?!" Kate cried out in shock. "Jesus…"

Laughing, he quickly amended, "I was just joking, Kate. Yeah, I know Steve can protect himself when he needs to. But seriously, if I can get ahold of a stun gun right now, I would arm him with that."

"Don't you dare. You know it's illegal. Besides, in his current mood, he might accidentally stun-gun the doctors and nurses instead, god forbid," Kate said with a roll of her eyes. "Look, Shane. We will look after Steve real closely. You don't need to worry."

For several moments, he simply gazed at her. He then tenderly touched her face and said, "I put the safety of my brother's life in your hands then, DI Fleming."

She blinked. And blinked some more. To rescue herself from the sudden discomposure, she asked, "Uh…do you actually BASE jump?"

"Of course." He grudgingly dropped his hand and stepped away. "It's a lot simpler than HALO."

Kate was clearly impressed, though she was not surprised. Shane was a Major in the British Army after all. With the Special Forces to boot. Before she could comment more, Shane began walking back towards Steve's ward.

"I need to see him one more time before I go."

Steve stirred awake when they walked in. He stared groggily back at them.

"Christ," he muttered, "You're still here?"

"I'm going, I'm going." Shane looked down at his brother, looking undecided for once.

Steve raised one eyebrow. "Why look at me like that? You're going to kiss me goodbye?"

"You wish." Shane snorted, right before he bent over to gather his brother into his embrace. "Take care, Stevie."

Steve swallowed hard as he returned the hug. He didn't know what type of classified mission that his big brother would jump into this time, but he expected it to be extremely dangerous. And he could not be sure if they would see each other again. With the type of job that Shane had, there was always the possibility that he would not return safely home.

"No, _you_ take care, big guy. Come back in one piece."

Kate was a little teary eyed as she watched the brotherly scene, but she quickly straightened up and forced herself to smile when Shane turned to her next.

"What? Are you going to kiss _me_ goodbye?"

Without replying, Shane leaned over and planted a tender kiss against her temple with a soft whisper, "Look after him for me."

Seconds later, he was gone.

Dazed, Kate had to take a moment to gather her bearings. Turning to Steve, she noticed his knowing looks.

"_What_?"

Steve shrugged, grinning. "I didn't say anything."

"Yeah, right. I know what you're thinking."

"Hey, that's none of my business, boss." And then his face fell. Staring at the doorway that Shane had recently walked through, he said, "Kate, I'm real worried about him."

With a sad smile, she sat on the edge of the bed next to Steve's side. Draping an arm around his shoulders, she gathered him close.

"And Shane worries about you. I don't know much how it goes because I don't have any siblings, but I guess that's what brothers do. Worry about each other. Just like I worry about you."

"Are you saying we're siblings now?" Steve dryly asked.

"No, I'm still your boss."

Steve chuckled and closed his eyes, burrowing himself deeper into her arms. "Yes, ma'am."

_**-AC12AC12AC12AC12AC12-**_

Two days later, Steve was released from the hospital. It was already midday when Kate went to collect him and drove him home. Upon arriving at the building of his flat, Steve was a little annoyed to see two AFOs guarding the main entrance.

"Are they really necessary?" he grumbled at Kate as he punched the button for the elevator.

"It's just a precaution, Steve. Ramsay is still out there somewhere. He might make another go at you."

"Yeah, well, they are scaring my neighbors. This is…what? The third time this year? I think the building management is already conspiring to evict me!""

Kate just chuckled. Soon afterwards, she was unlocking Steve's door before ushering him in. "Go take some rest, mate. I'll take care of lunch."

Steve rolled his eyes. "Honestly, Kate, I'm fine. I've had lots of rest at the hospital. I'm tired of lying around doing nothing."

"But you're on medical leave for a couple more days, so technically you're still an invalid. Why don't you just sit down and get yourself comfortable while I—"

Her mobile phone chose that moment to ring. She took it out from her jacket pocket and frowned at the caller ID. "It's the gaffer."

"Tell him I'm strong enough to come to work tomorrow," Steve said, stretching out on the sofa.

"I will tell him no such thing," Kate interjected before answering the call. "Sir? Yes, I've just picked him up. We are now at his flat."

She listened to his response before adding, "The doctor instructed that he gets more rest and continue to rehydrate. Also, he needs to be on full alert of any aftereffects."

"I feel _fine_," Steve called out from the other side of the room.

Kate ignored him, attentively listening to what the gaffer was saying on the other end. Her eyes suddenly widened in surprised.

"_What_?"

Steve quickly sat up. "What is it, Kate?"

Stunned, she turned to her partner while still listening to her boss. "Yes, sir. Thank you for the updates. Yes, I'll tell him."

Ringing off the phone, Kate smiled. "They've found Ramsay. They've got him."

Sighing in relief, Steve nodded. "That's good. So I need not worry about him anymore."

"But, Steve, there is more," she said as she came closer, looking real excited about something.

"What do you mean?"

"Apparently, Ramsay knows that you've been found alive. Those videos of you lying half naked on the Tesco floor, they've gone viral on social media."

Turning red in the face, Steve groaned. "Yeah, I saw them. Mortifying. I blame Shane for that."

"Ramsay realizes you can identify him. He knows he's a wanted man. He was trying to flee the country when he got caught."

"They nicked him at the airport?"

"No, not the airport." Kate was bemused when she said next, "The police got an anonymous tip. Based on that tip, they later found Ramsay at the opened car park at the port of Dover. He was inside the boot of a car, bound and gagged and without a stitch on!"

Steve's mouth dropped opened, his eyes bugged wide. "You're kidding."

"No, I'm not. That's exactly what the gaffer told me," she said. "And just like you were, Ramsay was in a serious stage of heat stroke when they found him. He is now in the hospital, recovering. No doubt he'll go straight to prison soon afterwards."

"Right. But who did that to him?" Steve wondered.

"A good Samaritan maybe? Ramsay's photo has been released through various media channels, so someone is bound to recognize him." Kate shrugged. "The MVCU are investigating, but I'm sure they'll be more focused on Ramsay and what he did to you instead of his attacker."

Steve couldn't hold back a grin. "Serve him right."

Folding her arms, Kate looked at him closely. "Could this really be the work of a good Samaritan, or maybe a guardian angel? I mean, _your_ guardian angel."

Steve's raised his eyebrows. "_My_ guardian angel?"

"You know exactly whom I'm talking about, mate."

"Oh. _Him_." Steve shrugged. "But how is that possible? Shane told me he has to fly out immediately on a classified op. He might be in some desolate part of a third world country right as we speak. How can he be at two places at one time?"

"Hmm…" Kate frowned as she pondered, but she said nothing more.

Later that evening, when Steve was finally left alone by himself—stretching out on the sofa and watching a football match on the telly—he opened a private Google mail account. After logging in with the user name 'Shortlegs', he noticed one notification in the draft box. When he clicked on it, he instantly knew that it was a cryptic message from his older brother.

Shane had typed only six words.

"_He didn't check the interior too_."

Amused, Steve laughed and laughed.

**THE END**

**Stay tuned for more LOD stories. Also feel free to prompt me some plots and ideas. Later, guys. **

"**Give yourself up!" – DS Steve Arnott.**

**.**

**.**

*** ****ABBREVIATIONS****:**

**AC - Anti Corruption**

**AFO - Authorized Firearms Officer **

**BASE - Building, Antenna, Span, and Earth**

**DCI - Detective Chief Inspector**

**DI - Detective Inspector**

**HALO - High Altitude Low Opening**

**ICU - Intensive Care Unit**

**MVCU- Major Violent Crime Unit**

**SAS - Special Air Service**

**SIO - Senior Investigating Officer**


End file.
